Technical Field
This disclosure relates generally to fans, and more particularly to fan assemblies.
Background Art
The processing power of integrated circuits and microprocessors is continually increasing. At the same time, the physical size of these devices is decreasing. Year after year, manufacturers produce smaller processors and integrated circuits that offer more computational power. While these technological advances yield smaller devices with more computational capabilities, there are tradeoffs that must be considered. A primary tradeoff is the fact that these smaller devices produce large amounts of heat, which must be removed for the devices to operate properly. This issue of excess heat generation is exacerbated when large numbers if integrated circuits and processors are densely populated in computer and server housings.
Illustrating by example, in server systems and other advanced computing platforms, large numbers of processors, memory devices, drivers, and other circuit components may be populated on printed circuit boards disposed within a chassis. When these components are all working simultaneously, they generate tremendous amounts of heat. This heat must be removed from the chassis to prevent the circuit components from overheating.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure.